The curtains at your local arthouse cinema draw. The adverts roll. You tear open that pick n mix you’ve been holding off from digging into since you got through the foyer, anticipating this new arty film you’ve not heard much about but sounds nice from the poster: Love by Gaspar Noé.
If you have never seen any of Gaspar Noé’s films, the opening scene of this film may come as a shock to you. Let’s not beat around the bush: it’s a young man lying on his back in bed, shot from above, as a woman wanks him off until he spunks a big load all over his belly. Cinéma!!!!
This pornographic scene might come as a shock to those who haven’t engaged with Noé’s films before, but those well versed in his back catalogue will know these shock tactics are nothing new. He’s a genius provocateur, and that opening scene is just one of many in Love, which was released in cinemas in 3D (yes, there’s… splashback).
The film may be five years old, but its arrival on Netflix has taken many people — not least the teenage legends of TikTok — by surprise. Those getting comfy, perhaps sitting down with their family to watch a cute Parisian romance, are going to be faced with a lot of bits and bobs that might make them feel uncomfortable.
The surge in popularity of the critically bashed but commercially successful romp 365 Days has caused people to look for, let’s say, similar content. A new trend on TikTok, started by user @bella_ashley, has seen people record their reactions to Love’s opening scene. To date, the sound has been used over 20,000 times.
The reactions range from appalled to, well, intrigued, with some of the clips racking up more than 1.5 million views.
As a piece of promo for a film that famously had a seven page-long script and underperformed at the box office, it’s invaluable. And for those who’ve not yet delved deeper into the world of Gaspar’s films, try Climax next — despite sounding like a horny successor to Love, it just slaps.